#being the one protecting their big bad muscular soldier of a boyfriend

[killerpancakeburger]

Fending off dogs for Soap 🧼

Just been reminded that Soap is canonically scared of dogs, so despite appearances he'd be more of a cat person than a dog person.

Imagine him with a Reader that is 100% a cat person, and is usually fearful of big dogs, but braves their fear when they notice how uncomfortable they make Soap.

Imagine your boyfriend being often compared to a dog or a mutt, an unhinged one. The way he nuzzles against your neck, the puppy eyes he uses on you, the whines he produces when you don't grant him the attention he craves or refuses him, how his husky voice easily turns to a growl when he's pissed, the way he demands head pats and caresses when he's resting against you, the sloppy kisses he smacks on your cheek in thanks. So until now, you imagined that when meeting a dog, they'd both spend each other excessive energy.

Only to be taken aback when you see him freeze; voice lowered so much it's unintelligible, sweat beading at his temple. You have to place yourself between him and the dog, gently squeeze his hand so his focus turns to you, and pull him away to safety. Cradle his face, reassure him that everything's fine, that you'll stand between him and any mutt if he needs. How pleasant is the feeling to be the one, for once, to defend and protect your soldier.

[alheria]

Anniversary (one-shot)

Ghost wasn't one to celebrate any holidays or special occasions.

But König was.

And since they were dating, he had to adapt in order to keep his partner happy. Because, obviously, he had gotten too emotionally involved and would hate to ruin their stable, somewhat healthy relationship. So they compromised, celebrated everything the Austrian wanted except the lieutenant's birthday. It was the only thing he could not stand, by any means. Painful days full of bad memories should not be acknowledged. Ever. The younger man luckily respected that.

The most important event to recognize was surely their anniversary. They’ve been together for nearly two years now, and the first milestone unfortunately happened to occur while both were on separate missions in two different parts of the world with no way to at least contact each-other.

For Ghost, this wasn’t a big problem, didn’t even think about it too much, too busy trying not to die. König, on the other hand, was utterly heartbroken. Upon them reuniting, he cried, a lot, then informed that missing the first anniversary was a bad sign, and they will surely break up soon because they are doomed. Which was a really stupid, baseless assumption. Nevertheless, the lieutenant ensured next year the date is in the middle of their off-duty period. Just in case. Which involved promising he will do some stuff he didn’t necessarily want to do. Like helping train new recruits or taking over half of Price’s paperwork.

The things people do for love!

Right, love. The emotionless soldier never thought he would use such a term in reference to his own, barely existing feelings. Until the weirdly tall, socially awkward, all soft and mushy Austrian showed up and effortlessly turned his dark, freezing cold world upside down. Proved that loving someone did not make one seem any less scary or vulnerable. Ghost actually appeared to be even more dangerous, now he had something dear to protect.

Which also meant he needed to go that extra mile to make his partner happy enough to not leave him, because if he did, he would have to kill him. And losing König would kill him in return. That’s why he had to agree to participate in the younger man’s undisclosed fantasy for their upcoming anniversary. So they both can stay alive.

The crucial for the success of their relationship day had started with them waking up unreasonably early in the Austrian’s apartment in Graz. Neither was ready to leave the bed just yet, therefore they stayed, embracing each-other’s naked bodies under the cosy blanket. Ghost absolutely fucking adored those rare moments when König rested safely between his protective arms whilst there was nothing to worry about since they weren’t in a war zone but in a normal place, in a regular house, in a comfortable bed big enough to fit both of them.

Sometimes he wondered if this precious time turned into reality, would they still be happy? Probably not. It is truly nice, being in this secure, warm bubble, although it cannot be accurately compared to that intoxicating sensation of being in the field, desperately fighting for survival, and killing your bloodthirsty enemies. Nothing feels as good. Not even sex.

-I need you to let go, love. -the lieutenant whispered softly, loosening the hold around the taller man, who didn’t move an inch, his cheek plastered to the muscular chest.

-Why?! -he whined, making his boyfriend smile. Such a big baby.

-Coffee. -Ghost responded vaguely. -You know I quickly get cranky without my morning coffee.

-I know. -König huffed in annoyance, eventually rolling on the other side of the bed, nearly fully covering himself with the claimed blanket to retain pleasant heat. The Brit got up, and instantly regretted his decision to leave the nice warmth. He swiftly put on some clothes randomly found on the floor and fondly glanced at the steaming burrito as he stretched the stiffened limbs.

-Happy anniversary, my pretty beast. -he hummed once ready to roll, pressing a tender kiss to those ruffled hair before leaving the bedroom. And maybe he didn't see the Austrian's definitely smiling face, but could tell it was blushing furiously. König was naturally terrible at hiding his feelings, which was the sole reason for him wearing the spooky mask on a daily basis. Before knowing better, Ghost thought maybe he was horribly disfigured due to some accident, however as it turned out, he was just readable like an open book, and simply hated that.

Nearly twenty minutes passed before the unmasked soldier showed up in the kitchen, not a single piece of clothing his. Shameful thief. The lieutenant was half-sat on the wide windowsill, nearly empty cup in hand, watching the city slowly start another busy day.

-Took you long enough. -he pointed out, shifting slightly so the other man could fit between his welcoming arms. It was a habit for them at this point, cuddling in the morning anytime they were together to absorb this much-needed affection.

-I'm worth waiting for. -the Austrian murmured, pressing his nose into the Brit's neck. -Thank you for sorting out this time off. It means a lot. -added, softly kissing the muscular shoulder.

-All the best for my precious baby. -Ghost responded, his chilly hands sneaking under the thick hoodie as the cheek rested on his boyfriend’s head. -I love you, —. A lot.

König smiled widely hearing the heart-warming confession followed by his name he used to deeply hate, and recently began to enjoy once again.

-I love you too, Simon.

---

In the early afternoon, they went to get something to eat, knowing well-enough planned for later activities will drain all their energy. There was this small Croatian restaurant in a narrow alley the two of them discovered a few months back while on a walk, and wanted to give it a try since then, but never got about actually doing it. Until now.

Wasn't a disappointment, no fireworks either. Simply delicious food in a great company. Which was completely enough. On a daily basis their lives were filled with constant danger and unhealthy excitement, therefore they immensely enjoyed those slow, peaceful moments when it was only the two of them and no war.

Despite having plans, there was no rush to return home, so they took a longer route, basked in the sun while holding hands. And perhaps some people kept looking at them funny, however neither cared. Today was all about love, and if someone dared to ruin that, they would surely end up dead.

-Where should we celebrate next year? -König asked out of nowhere, fairly surprising his partner with that question.

Next year?

Next year, they will be together for three years.

He didn’t expect them to go past three months.

-Wherever you want, sweetheart. -Ghost answered eventually, not having anywhere concrete in mind. Constant work-related travelling was enough, there was no desire in him to do it casually in his scarce free time.

-Hmm…Finland maybe? -the Austrian suggested after taking a moment to think it through.

-Finland? -Simon frowned, unsure where that idea came from. His boyfriend always run a little cold, thus usually preferred hanging around warm places.

-What?! -the younger man chuckled, seeing the lieutenant's confused expression. -We're always getting shipped to those hot climate countries, a change of scenery would be nice!

The Brit smiled, playfully ruffled those soft, messy hair. 

-As I said, wherever you want. I’ll follow.

---

Once back home, they shortly found themselves in the bedroom, both starting to feel that anxious tingle of excitement from knowing what’s about to happen. The unique gift exchange.

-That’s your outfit for today. -König informed, handing his boyfriend a large, heavy cardboard box he had stored under the bed. -Can't wait to see you in it. -winked before recovering another package, presumably containing his costume.

Ghost quickly removed the loose lid and couldn’t believe this was the mysterious fantasy his partner didn't want to reveal. Inside, there was a brown hat, a pair of light blue jeans, real life fucking cowboy shoes, a thick belt with a big buckle and some black leather straps serving an unknown purpose.

But clearly, some kinky shit.

-Just to clarify…you want me to wear…this? -he asked, pulling out this strange, complicated looking accessory. -What the fuck is even that thing?

-It’s a harness, and yes, I want you to wear that thing. -the Austrian sighed once he got up from the floor. His partner had a rather unhealthy tendency to have a negative attitude towards trying new things. He was surely working on it, however still struggled to show enthusiasm at times.

-How am I supposed to put it on? -Simon frowned, closely examining the confusing object. 

-You’ll figure it out babe. It’s actually pretty straightforward. -the younger soldier smiled, reassuringly patting the lieutenant’s shoulder as he passed by towards the exit, heading to the bathroom to change. 

-I doubt. -the Brit muttered under his breath.

-Just give it a try. -König rolled those pretty, slightly annoyed eyes, and promptly left the room, leaving Ghost alone with this strange contraption.

Somehow he managed to put it on, mostly because it was “actually pretty straightforward”. He felt a little stupid wearing such a ridiculous costume, although damn, it truly looked good on him. Every single piece fit his muscular body perfectly, creating a really fucking weird image of a BDSM loving queer cowboy. But yeah, hats off to that sneaky Austrian for secretly getting correct measurements.

As instructed, once ready, Simon sat down on the bed, awaiting his boyfriend’s arrival. The excitement was prominent at this point, flowing through his veins and making that fat dick of his slowly harden. With every passing minute he grew more and more impatient to see what the other man chose for himself.

And oh, when those doors finally opened, his jaw dropped all the way to the ground, overstimulated brain immediately crashed.

Fuck.

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

Fuck.

There was a skirt. A very fucking short skirt. Black skirt, white shirt. Tight shirt, shiny logo, babygirl. Stockings, see-through, high leather platforms. Very high. So tall. Skirt so short.

Leather collar.

-Speechless much? -König grinned, more than proud of himself for breaking his lover’s mind, and fucking delighted Simon obediently put on this ravishing outfit that made his own penis twitch.

-Babygirl… -Ghost swallowed heavily, his throat suddenly dry, brain barely operating, cock wildly hard. -How…how did I deserve this… -he blurted, struggling to comprehend the unbelievable sight. This was beyond sexy. All his instincts screamed to get up right fucking now, press that indecent man to the nearby wall, pull his slutty skirt up and fuck deep into that juicy ass.

-You’ve been treating me very well lately, daddy. -the Austrian fucking purred, slowly approaching the other soldier, short skirt shamelessly swinging in tandem with those narrow hips. -Is it okay if I repay your kindness? -asked as he heavily dropped to his knees, right in between the lieutenant’s spread legs, greedy hands already sliding through the thick thighs towards this visibly strained zipper.

-Please do. -the Brit whispered, further shocked by a sparkly headband entangled in the younger man’s strands, surely preventing them from soon falling into his eyes when he finally leans down to suck that needy dick he’s been trying to free for a painfully long time. Clearly on purpose. -You’re pushing your luck, princess. -Ghost growled as he firmly grabbed his partner's chin and pulled his confused face up. -You're so fucking pretty sweetheart, but for fucks sake, suck my dick already. -he ordered. The response was immediate, König released the prominent erection from its confinement, squeezed the wide base between his fingers and teasingly licked a long stripe before swallowing the hard shaft. Fuck.

The sound that escaped Simon’s throat was way too loud, accurately described the utter pleasure resonating through his body. His head instantly flew back, one hand instinctively held the sliding hat while the other cupped the back of the younger soldier’s moving neck.

-Fuck, baby, you’re so fucking good at it. -he groaned, letting himself melt into the blissful act. That was his favourite part of sex, having that sleek tongue explore his length, silky throat contract on his swollen tip, hot breath dance on the sensitive flesh. Blowjobs were the best, and ones given by his partner?

Fucking divine.

Didn’t take long for him to feel the orgasm build. There was also no reason to hold back. After all, neither liked a long game, quick and dirty was their forte. That’s why not hesitating a bit, when he was at the edge, he pressed his lover’s head down and with a loud moan spilled inside, in a much more powerful manner than usual, causing the other soldier to start choking. Getting further aroused by the visibly struggling, squirming man, he didn’t let go until his leg got patted three times, a sign whatever is happening needs to stop immediately.

-Daddy! -the Austrian whined after coughing his lungs out and finally catching breath, his eyes beautifully watery, palm slowly travelling to his pulsating manhood, giving it a suggestive squeeze. -Help me.

And just like that, Ghost’s sanity nearly offed itself, held together solely by desperate need to violate this disgustingly erotic individual driving him mad.

-Get up sweetheart. -he instructed, and König obediently rose to tower over the older man. He was already really fucking tall, but damn, in those platform shoes his painfully erect penis was in the straight line of sight. -Good girl. -Simon praised his boyfriend as his finger slid through the sleek stocking and curiously pulled up the short skirt, revealing a sizable bulge tightly hugged by a black leather thong. With satisfaction he licked his lips before, without a warning, sucking onto that covered flesh, nearly making his lover drop back on the floor when his knees gave up momentarily.

He could feel those large hands desperately grab his hair and clench them tightly, a subconscious reaction to being overwhelmed with pleasure. The quiet, frequent noises the soldier started producing were going straight to Ghost’s dick, causing him to want more. So he reached towards the back, between the muscular cheeks, and nearly fucking lost it.

There was something there. 

A plug.

-Enough. -Ghost barked as he abruptly pulled away, fully ready to go again. -I’m gonna lose my shit if I don’t fuck you right fucking now. -informed while swiftly getting up and joining their lips in a heated kiss. His arms wrapped around the waist, sneaked under the cropped shirt, thigh forced itself between those long legs. Their clashed hips quickly began to rub each-other, greedily chasing that insanely pleasurable friction. -You may wanna remind yourself that safeword of yours, babygirl. -the lieutenant whispered into his partner’s steamy mouth when he broke the kiss as his fingers returned to that interesting toy, started to slowly take it out. The Austrian whined so prettily in response, Simon couldn’t stand not being in him anymore. He removed the obstructing plug in one smooth move, roughly turned König around and violently pushed him towards the wall. -And if you can’t talk, you clearly know what to do. -he grinned once close enough to speak into the younger man’s ear. And then, without further ado, lined himself up and buried deep inside his shocked boyfriend's ass.

Who surely had an idea of how lucky he was that his hole was somewhat pre-lubed, otherwise the Brit would be mercilessly pounding him raw.

-Daddy, please, it hurts! -he cried out, his legs shaking so bad, the lieutenant struggled to hold him up as his fat cock penetrated the tight hole. Ghost didn’t say anything, only slid his hand from the waist to that rock hard bulge, began to squeeze it through the leather, providing his lover both pain and pleasure. An intense mixture that clouded his barely coherent mind, overpowered all his overstimulated senses and eventually, made him come into his underwear.

The power of König’s orgasm nearly forced Simon’s when the contracting insides crushed his penis, but knowing it would take long to recover after two closely spaced releases, he managed to withstand the ecstatic wave without finishing. And it wasn’t easy with those euphoric whines echoing in his spinning head.

-Babygirl. -the older man hummed softly, seeing tears roll down his boyfriend's flushed cheek. -You okay sweetheart? -asked while gently pulling out of the crying soldier. The quiet "yes" assured this is simply a reaction to being emotionally overwhelmed, and he, in fact, did not seriously hurt the person he loved. So they could happily continue, which was great, because he had a fun idea. He took off his stupid hat and put it on the surprised Austrian's head.

-You’re the cowboy now, princess. -the lieutenant informed as he walked back to the bed he lied himself on, his half-erect cock on full display, one hand slowly masturbating it while the other grabbed a bottle of lube and threw it onto the mattress. -Ride me.

König's glossy eyes instantly went wide open. He quickly removed the dripping with cum thong and eagerly climbed over his groaning partner.

-Stop touching yourself, I want to. -pouted, making Ghost laugh at that comically offended expression.

-All yours, baby. -he winked, letting go of the hardened shaft, his fingers promptly replaced with heavily lubricated ones. The cold liquid spreading through the sensitive flesh felt heavenly, caused him to forget shame, and neighbours, exist. Moans filled the room, soon joined by the Austrian's whimpers as he impaled his wet hole onto that fat penis. Looking at his tall, muscular man's back arch in pleasure while he fucked himself on his dick, Ghost once again approached the edge, began to lose his balance. And when that slutty skirt started to rise, pulled up by the rapidly growing erection, he had to fight very, very hard to last a little longer.

-Daddy, touch me! -König whimpered, his movements so erratic, he had to be close too. Not wasting any time, Simon reached under the skirt, closed his palm around the sticky shaft and began to jerk it violently, hoping for them to finish together.

Soon, his wish got granted. The Austrian bottomed down, overstimulating the Brit's cock, making his hand clench on the penis it held. The two soldiers came nearly simultaneously, their bodies trembled at the euphoric sensation, lips blindly joined in a desperate, messy kiss while they spilled inside and out.

Once this blissful feeling of release passed, the energy seemed to have left alongside. König barely managed to lift himself up before dropping onto the pleasantly cold pillow.

-My ass hurts. -he complained, trying to send Simon a nasty look, but was too content to be mad. The sex was rough and painful however he hated it any other way. Consequences sucked though.

-I’m not sorry. -Ghost snorted, taking the hat off his partner’s sweaty head. -Why do I feel like you put me in this idiotic costume just to have a laugh? -he then asked, examining the accessory closer. Surprisingly, it wasn’t a cheap toy, the quality was excellent.

-Because I absolutely did! -the Austrian grinned, so very proud of himself for successfully pulling that out. -I wanted to see you as a cowboy, and I knew you wouldn't say no for our anniversary. You did look hot tho!

-You cheeky bastard! -the older soldier laughed as he pressed that hat back onto his laughing boyfriend's head. -Actually, speaking of the anniversary, I have an additional gift for you. -he informed, reaching for something he hid earlier in the night stand drawer and placing it in his partner’s hand. -There you go.

-...what…Simon? -König gasped, in shock gazing at a small, elegant black box he slowly opened. Inside, there was a silver ring composed of several connected skulls, which looked oddly familiar. Upon closer observation, he quickly recognized these as exact replicas of Ghost’s mask. It was so fucking adorable, his poor heart nearly exploded.

-Don’t get any stupid ideas. -the lieutenant huffed, suddenly realising this looks a lot like a proposal. -It’s just so you don’t feel insecure about our relationship every time we’re apart. -he clarified, feeling himself blush involuntarily regardless. They never spoke about ever getting married, although considering how strong their connection was, maybe it wouldn’t be the worst idea to open the subject sometime soon.

-I…thank you. -the younger man smiled softly, unable to stop staring at this amazing gift he truly didn’t expect. -That’s so thoughtful. -whispered, barely holding back happy tears. He couldn’t believe his terrifying, merciless, emotionally distant lover cared for him this much. Didn’t feel real. -C-can you put it on for me?

-Of course. -Ghost agreed, gently grabbing the Austrian’s left palm to put the ring there. -We’re solid now, yeah? -he confirmed once done, with satisfaction looking at the perfectly fitting, clearly visible sign of belonging decorating his boyfriend’s finger. König was full-on sobbing at that point, overwhelmed by pure joy to the point he barely managed to respond:

-Yes. Yes we are.

[aj-writes-here]

Remember I posted a tease about a series I wanted to work in? Well, being here 01:19am, Ifinished the first chapter! Hope you find in interesting :)

Predestination [Chapter 1]

Today was a year since the day you had arrived at that weird place. And in one year, you were able to become a fully functional soldier, being one of the strongest in the group, and certainly no one could believe how you managed to become Squad Leader in such a little amount of time. Well, you should blame your previous training. Or the pieces of knowledge that it left you, even the muscular memory. 

But wait a second.

How did all of this happen? A short flashback should help set things clearer. 

Working as a teacher, training every day next to your boyfriend and best friend, and hanging out with your brainy friends seemed to be the perfect match, as if things were predestinated to occur the way they did. That day things were weird, to start with, the window was blowing cold in the hottest day of the year, there were no birds on the sky, and not a single mail notification on your phone.

Things then started as they should, you kiss your boyfriend goodbye and left, heading straight to your job. The day was quiet, the students of your last class had an exam to do, but in the middle of the time given, a bunch of birds crashed on the big windows, catching everyone's attention. As if things couldn't go weird enough. The classroom was evacuated to a safer one, and the examed was postponed to the next week. Things felt weird, as an incomplete puzzle, that hint in your heart was screaming something at you but you couldn't tell what it was. Were you going to be robbed? Crashed by a car? It was hard to tell, but thanks to those feelings you decided it was better to keep an eye open to everything, be more cautious than the usual was not a bad thing.

After leaving college, Matt texted you he had a free hour to have lunch, and as a police Sergeant, those free hours were once in a blue moon. 

The lunch went as usual, with the small difference that a waitress spilled a glass of water over your clothes, are weird things going to keep happening? You asked to yourself.

Oh, believe. The worst was yet to come. 

''So, are we going to Kara's house tonight?'' Matt asked walking by your side.

''Sure! We haven't seen her in a while, besides, I feel bad'' You gave him a look with pouted eyes.

''May I ask why, love?''

''I tumbled her down with just a kick while we were sparring! She said her butt hurt for like a week'' You couldn't help but laugh at the memory, Matt imitating your actions.

''God yes! I remember that!'' he cleaned a happy tear ''But that only proves that you're good at it, babe'' He pressed a kiss on the top of your head easily.

''I think I will buy her some chocolates for tonight'' You said in between laughs again, stopping at the street where your paths separate. But that day? Those paths were going to be separated for more than they should. Or shouldn't they?

''That's a good idea,'' he smiled ''We can go to the market before her house tonight'' Matt looked at his clock and then at you ''Shit, I'm almost late. Gotta go, see you tonight babe,'' He laid a hand on your shoulder and left a soft kiss on your lips ''Love you.''

''Love you too'' You answered, the smile never leaving your face. ''You handsome!'' Matt looked back over his shoulder just to send you a flying kiss, waving his hand, loosing among the people.

So, you had left your job earlier, had lunch with your boyfriend, at it was barely two pm. You didn't go to your apartment, avoiding that tiny voice in your head that told you you should. Instead, that day you decided to pay a visit to the lab your other friends worked at. 

The lab was big, outside big letters were eye-catching. Just as a tech and bio company should be, always looking for different ways of improving mankind. You were known almost by the entire building, so the secretary just let you in. 

There they were, looking tired but excited as usual. 

''We're so close'' Lauren pointed out giving you a tight hug before asking how things were going.

''Yes! We haven't run any test yet, but if this thing works... We will change history.'' Paul looked almost scared, looking at the device on the white table.

''I would ask you how you did it, but I'm pretty sure the only word I'd understand is 'proton', and that's it'' You laughed.

''It is complicated, yes. But as we have tested with small objects, those complex terms had seemed to work.'' He scratched his head.

''That's true. The other day we were able to move a grape. Now we just add some other things to increase the power, we need to try with something bigger.'' 

They were working on how to transport atoms, concrete things. The grape experiment had worked, they were able to make it crossed the room when they activated the small machine. As you spoke, the rest of the team kept on running tests on other things, creating, innovating.

And then what was not supposed to happen, happened.

The building was shaking, was it an earthquake? You could look outside the window, people walking normally, so it wasn't an earthquake. A red light indicated the state of emergency, and the security team was running as fast as possible to get to the floor you and your friends were at. The birds crashed on the windows again, and thanks to the shock you fell to the floor, the tiny little machine your friends were working on started vibrating, and they recognized the blue light it emitted, the same light that appeared when the grape was moved. 

Fear was on everyone's faces, a loud metallic noise was filling the room, and you tried to cover your head from the pieces of the roof that were falling, but then, the box fell from the table and it hit your shoulder.

And then everything was silent.

When you opened your eyes, you were in some sort of cage, a tall blond man looking at you seriously, next to him a four eyed woman who looked more excited. 

Erwin and Hanji. Those were their names.

''Oi, you idiot'' His voice took you out of those memories, so you looked at him instead of you tea cup.

''Don't you have someone else to bother, Levi?'' You raised an eyebrow. It is true, your personality had changed after living in that new but old world.

''Tch, I've been talking to you for about a minute'' His voice was rough as usual. ''Then all of you ask me why I don't speak. It looks that everyone has water instead of fucking brains.

''Then tell me what do you want before I leave'' You stood up, ignoring the rest of his words, in the end, the tea was already cold.

''I was telling you that you should go to bed. Your face looks shittier than the normal.''

''Yeah, I'm aware of it. Thanks for the reminder.''

Your relationship with Levi was... Stressful. You couldn't stand each other, yet you always ended up talking. And throwing shit at each other. Still, you always found yourself near him, because of training, missions, paperwork, or more. The first time you met him he had been rough, not even caring about why were you dressing so differently or where you were from. You didn't join the army, the Survey Corps noticed your abilities in fighting, and surprisingly you were almost natural with the ODM. And besides, how were they going to explain that you were from another era? Another world? You were good in what they needed, so in a little amount of time you got your uniform. Almost against your will, but if that meant that you had food and a roof to sleep under, you were good. With time, Levi asked subtle questions, it was hard to believe everything that you had told him. How the hell was even possible? You couldn't even answer. And the truth was, that you didn't care about giving him explanations, he was an idiot. 

After a year of living inside the walls, being part of the SC thanks your skills, you were still trying to find ways to go back home. How could you pass from being a History and Literature teacher, from being a soldier that was fighting to protect humanity? 

But destiny worked in complex ways, and you could have never imagined that the last thing you were going to want, was going back home. 

[spaceskam]

14 and 70

I got. Very carried away. But I know you wont be mad!

Warning for Jesse Manes dickishness

14. Bodyguard AU & 70. Locked in a room together 

Michael was pouting. 

It wasn't really a new thing, he pouted a lot and it usually got him what he wanted, but the last month of having his own personal guard had taught him that there were in fact people who could resist his pouting. It was extremely annoying and he would've really appreciate the attention, but God forbid he get any of that.

However, now the castle was on lockdown because of a threat to the royal family and each member had been shucked away to their own private hideaways so that no one could find them all.

That meant he had all the time in the world to get attention from the really pretty man that was his guard.

"It's creepy that you never smile, you know," he said, flipping around on the bed in the corner of the small space. He angled himself to where his head was hanging off the edge and his feet were firmly on the wall. The guard didn't move a muscle, much less speak. So, Michael let out a loud, childish whine. It got him immediately shushed.

"Are you trying to get killed, Prince Michael?" he asked and Michael's face lit up.

"He speaks!"

Michael was one of the only royal children to have a male guard. Most of them were women, something about being able to protect and bond with the children in a way men were shit at. However, it didn't take very long to realize Michael was very talented at getting what he wanted. He had charmed every nanny he'd ever had into letting him break the rules. And then, once he got older, he would seduce them too. It led them to the decision to get him a male guard in order to prevent that.

Jokes on them.

"Hey," Michael called after the man had gone back to his stoic silence from his place between the door and the bed. Michael pushed his foot off the wall, using his arms to balance him as he reached to nudge his foot against his guard's back. He heard a sigh.

"Haven't you ever been taught not to catch a soldier off guard?"

"Sure I have," Michael said, nudging him again. He almost fell off the bed reaching for him. "Hey."

"You do know we are under lockdown, right? You shouldn't be playing. You should be cowering in the corner in fear," his guard said. Michael smiled and let his feet hit the wall again. 

"Why would I be afraid when I have a big, strong man to protect me?" he asked. His guard shook his head and Michael liked to imagine he was smiling. He wondered if he had a pretty smile. "Are you smiling? Can I see it?"

His guard turned around and he wasn't smiling, but it looked like he was smiling before and Michael took it as a win. He grinned wildly.

"What's your name?" he asked, "Somehow you've been around me every single day for a month and I don't know your name. They never told me it and Guard is pretty boring. What's your name?" The guard didn't answer. "Oh, come on! We're stuck in here for however long and I am going to die of boredom. Please, sir, entertain me."

His guard took a long, heavy breath that seemed to be saying 'this is my job, stop making me smile'. Michael flipped over, crawling a bit towards the guard. He looked away and Michael felt triumphant.

"You do know you're my employer, don't you?" The guard asked and just a hint of a smile was showing on his beautiful features. Most of the guards were hardened and looked aged beyond their years. This one was young and overwhelmingly attractive. And, seeing that smile, Michael felt dizzy.

Still, he made a wounded noise that made the guard smile wider. "I'm not your employer, my father is. We are peers."

The guard scoffed, "In what universe are we peers? You are my superior in every way."

"No," Michael argued, crawling closer, "We are peers. Two men just doing their jobs."

The guard licked his lips and smiled, blinking all slow as he shook his head. Michael felt mesmerized. How did he not noticed this man before he became his guard? Where had he been his whole life? 

"Alex," he said, "My name is Alex."

"Alex," Michael repeated and he decided in that moment that it was the most beautiful name ever. He flopped onto his back, his palm pressed over his heart. Alex smiled wider, his teeth showing. "Tell me, Alex, do you have a girlfriend?" He paused and fluttered his eyelashes. "Boyfriend?"

Alex let out a soft laugh, "I don't have time for all of that."

"Nonsense!" Michael announced, "We have all the time in the world until we don't and it looks like right now we have plenty. We have no idea how long we'll be stuck here together. Could be days. Weeks, even. They take these threats so very seriously."

"Mmm, funny, my options are so very limited in this room," Alex mused. Michael tilted his head and ran his tongue over his teeth. 

"I suppose they are."

Alex said nothing more and turned his focus back on the door. Michael sighed. He wished that he could save the feeling of attention for when he didn't have it. It would make life so much easier. This time, he reached his foot out and dragged it down Alex's back and untucked his pristine shirt. Then he pushed his foot up his bare back. He did it all slow, waiting to be told to stop or for Alex to step away.

"Your Highness, I do not believe this is helping the situation," Alex said, but he didn't move away. 

"Its helping my situation."

Alex looked over his shoulder. 

"And what might that situation be?"

"The one where I'm stuck in a tiny little room with a gorgeous man who doesn't seem against my advances."

Alex smiled at him and sighed, stepping a little closer to Michael while he looked back at the door. "I've heard stories about you, you know? You managed to get a guard in bed who taught me. She was one of the best I'd known and she lost her credibility because she slept with you." 

"No," Michael protested, "She went to my father and said she couldn't be around me anymore, I think she was embarrassed of sleeping with a man half her age, but she refused to say that to my father, so he assumed I was the terror and she was being kind. He speaks highly of her, she works for him still, just with him instead." 

"Ah, well, that's not what my father told me," Alex said. Michael paused, his foot pressing into his warm, muscular back. 

"Your father? Who is your father?"

With a sigh, Alex answered, "Jesse Manes."

Michael quickly removed his foot and sat up, staring at him with wide eyes. He did not like Jesse Manes. While most of his memories of the man were tied to those days when he had to learn how to sword fight as a child, they were all bad. Like the time Isobel had woven flowers into his hair and Sir Manes had ripped them out, not bothering if some of his hair came with it. Or when he caught Michael admiring another boy's stance and had kicked him to the ground. Jesse had a talent for making him cry and then telling him he couldn't go to his father because what would he say? No king would be proud of a son who couldn't even make it through sparring lessons without crying. So he never did.

Michael could only imagine how mean a child of that man could be.

"I'm sorry for touching you, Sir, I didn't mean it," he said. Jesse Manes was manipulative and he could only assume Alex had gotten that trait. Maybe he was just waiting for him to push too far before he had to "defend" himself. The thought had Michael scared to be stuck here with him.

However, Alex let out a slow sigh and turned around to face him. Michael watched him with dread pooling. This is what he gets for being too forward. He gets trapped with a man who hates him. 

"I am not my father," he said sternly.

Michael barely had time to process that before he was being kissed. Senselessly kissed. Blissfully kissed. Michael couldn't even think straight. It was a kiss he never wanted to end.

But it did end and he just stared at Alex in a daze.

"I'm not my father," he stated again and Michael nodded, moving in for another kiss. Alex chuckled and let him, though he kept it short. "I need to guard the door now. We are still under lockdown."

"Can I have another later then?" Michael asked.

"You can have much more than that later," Alex teased, "And I won't even ask to be removed from your service."

Michael dramatically fell back on the bed with a smile. 

[parkersharthook]

Come Back To Me

(Bucky Barnes x female!reader)

Warnings: brainwashing, winter soldier appearance, mentions of choking, angst with happy ending

8.5k+ words

“What do you mean he didn’t come back with you? Where is he?”

“Y/n...”

It had been a stressful few weeks. You and Bucky never really worked well when you were separated for too long. You got too antsy and worried, he got uptight and frustrated. It’s just better for all parties involved for you two to at least be in contact with one another.

And maybe that type of relationship isn’t great when one of you is a highly trained spy and the other is a highly trained assassin. Your jobs aren’t the most stable and one of you is almost always being whisked away on one mission or another.

But typically you can still at least talk to each other. A phone call here, a facetime there, texts in between. When those missions do come around, you both cling to whatever you can get. And it works… for a short bit. But then you begin to miss each other, and want each other around. Which is understandable. You guys are in love and all that nonsense.

But this time was different. This mission was high high high up on the secrecy level which means no communication to the outside world. At all. And maybe you could’ve dealt with this if you were the one on the mission, been able to focus on the task at hand. But you weren’t. He was. He was the one, while still thinking of you, got to preoccupy his mind with strategies and information paramount for the mission. You were stuck back at the tower doing nothing. Sure the occasional villain popped up but being the sharp shooter you were with the teammates you had, they disappeared rather quickly.

So no, nothing too big was keeping you busy. And for once in your life, you wish it weren’t the case. You wish you didn’t have time to read that book or watch that show. Because when you sit down with the book in one hand in your mug of coffee in the other, you don’t actually read. You stare at the pages blankly and fill them with thoughts of your Bucky. Good and bad thoughts, naturally. You think of the amazing memories you guys have together and the ones you’re ready to make. But then you also think about not being able to see him again and losing the chance of a future with him. More often than not, you put your book back on the shelf with a few more tears stains than it started with.

And this was the pattern, the trend that continued on for 3 long weeks. 3 strenuous, tough, exasperating, maddening, infuriating, irritating, desperately lonely weeks. Sure you had your other teammates. Tony was still around, but often busied himself with his lab. Same went for Bruce and whatever major scientific journey he was on. You didn’t keep up with that stuff. Natasha and Clint popped in every now and then but mostly enjoyed this time off to be ordinary people. Vision and Wanda were away on some sort of mini vacation. Sure you could call them, but this was their time to relax as well and you didn’t want to be a burden. So you sat in the large rooms of the tower by yourself wearing your boyfriend’s shirts.

Sam, Steve, and Peter had all left with Bucky. Made sense. Sam, Steve, and Bucky were the trifecta. A well-oiled machine that could take down a ring of drug lords that spent a decade building their fortune in one… two minutes flat. Peter… well the boy needed some training. And this was a good learning opportunity. He’d be exposed to stake outs, long nights and days, disconnecting with everyone else. It’d be hard on him, but you knew he’d appreciate it. To be honest, you kind of missed your boys.

Sam and Steve had filled that sort of brother role to you. They teased you for almost about everything, Bucky included or not. But they also wouldn’t let anything even touch you maliciously, whether that was a bad guy or a bug. You loved them

Peter, though like a brother to you, was more like an annoying little brother. He’d protect you in any way he could but you were also protecting him a lot due to your experience and knowledge. He would train or bake with you all day if he could. He was a good kid, you liked him. He put a smile on your face.

So without your boys here to keep things lively and exciting, you were a little bored. And a bored y/n is a dangerous y/n. You found yourself going to the gym a little more because you had nothing to do. You found yourself sleeping a little more because you had nothing to do. You found yourself eating a little more because you had nothing to do. You found yourself thinking a little more because you had nothing to do.

But mostly, you found yourself missing Bucky a little more. You missed him and his smile. You missed his warm embrace and the cool touch of his metal arm. You missed sleeping in the same bed as him and waking up to his morning kisses. You missed his short hair that he lets grow out. You missed his perfectly chiseled jawline and abs, like that was fair. You just missed him.

You had been marking down the days on your calendar until he was due to come back. 3 weeks. They left May 3, they should return by May 24. That’s how math works. Fury had kept you updated, as much as he could. They were still on schedule, they should be here in 4 days.

4 days. 4 days. 4 days.

You grew more restless the closer it came. You had four days to entertain yourself, shouldn’t be too hard. Except that it was. It was impossible. You couldn’t focus on anything but those fucking four days. Those 96 hours that needed to pass. Those 5760 minutes you couldn’t stand. Those 345600 seconds that you were counting down.

The night before they were supposed to come home you got a call. Nick Fury.

It took you a moment to collect your breathing and swallow the pit in your stomach before you could answer. “Yes sir?”

“Stark won’t answer his phone. Tell him to prepare the landing pad for 2 tomorrow.”

You let out a shaky breath of relief, “They’re on their way?”

“They should depart in a few hours.”

“Thank you sir.”

You ended the call and let a small smile form on your face as you made your way down to Tony’s lab. Your Bucky was coming home.

~.~

You didn’t sleep the night before and you certainly weren’t getting any rest now. You sat at the kitchen table, mug of coffee in your hand, knee bouncing aggressively.

“Y/n, would you calm down? They’re fine.” Tony said with a hint of annoyance. He had been just as antsy due to Peter’s absence.

You chewed on your nails and began to ramble, “We don’t actually know that. Nick just gave us a time, no details. They could be dead and the plane could be auto piloted.” You glanced up from the table to see Tony glaring at you. You ran a hand through your hair, “sorry sorry. You’re right, they’re fine.”

You suddenly heard the whirlwind of the jet engines and the mechanics of the landing pad fill the air. You stood up quickly and walked over to the window. Tony followed suit. You guys watched the jet land gracefully and slowly be pulled into the tower by Tony’s genius technology. You both swiveled on your feet towards the garage door, waiting with stilled breath for your teammates to walk in. Clint and Natasha joined you guys in welcoming them back home, but were still relaxing on nearby chairs. The two of them not nearly as pent up as you and Tony were.

The door seemed to open in slow motion and soon enough the tall, tanned muscular body of Steve Rogers walked in with a duffel over his shoulder. Nat smiled and got up to meet her boyfriend with a hug and a small kiss. You don’t know how the two of them did it so easily.

Sam walked in next and gave Nat a quick hello before coming over to give you a hug. You gladly reciprocated the hug and gave him a loving kiss on the cheek. He threw his arm over your shoulder. You chuckled slightly, “Glad to see you made it back in one piece. How was the mission?”

“It was good if that little asshole didn’t keep getting in my way.” Sam picked up his voice as Peter walked in. The kid rolled his eyes at Sam, obviously used to his playful insults by now. You laughed slightly at the two before noticing the pointed gazes from the boys that just returned.

“Where’s Bucky?”

“Y/n….” The tone of his voice killed you. Your heart instantly sank and your vision blurred even if you didn’t actually know what had happened yet. Your knees buckled beneath you and you felt Sam tighten his grip around your waist to keep you upright. The whole room wore concerned expressions, surely for both you and the missing avenger.

Steve took a few cautious steps forward, “he… he didn’t come back with us.”

Tears threatened to spill over, “What do you mean he didn’t come back with you? Where is he?”

“Y/n...”

“No, Sam! Where the hell is Bucky?!” You pushed him away from you, anger dominating your actions.

“Y/n.” That was Steve’s voice. Calming and smooth. “Bucky is in Wakanda.”

You let out a gasp of both relief and worry. “Why would he be in Wakanda?”

“Something happened….” Peter’s voice was small and almost guilty. You noticed how he tugged at the collar of his hoodie, keeping it high up on his neck.

Everyone was staring at you. You in all your white hot rage and sadness. Your confusion was obviously evident. They were all scrutinizing you. Trying to figure out what you’d do next. Even you didn’t know that.

“I’m calling him.” You were out of the room before anyone could stop you but that doesn’t mean they didn’t follow. Sam and Steve were hot on your trail as you ran to your room to grab your phone.

“Y/n he isn’t going to pick up.”

“He probably won’t talk to you.”

“Y/n let us explain.”

You didn’t listen to them as you dialed the number and pressed the phone to your face. The phone rang out for what seemed like forever before the tone of the voicemail came through. You ended the call and dropped the phone onto your bed, turning on your heel with red eyes and tears running down your cheek.

You stared down his two best friends. “What. The. Hell. Happened?” You spoke slowly and your voice was low. Sam gulped but continued to explain.

“When we got to Mosul, everything was going as planned. We infiltrated the Hydra base and took them out fairly easily.”

“Why does this matter?” You just needed to know about Bucky.

Steve spoke up next, “When we moved to Kirkuk to take out the next base they were more than ready. We were trapped, Bucky was separated from the three of us. There was nothing we could do.” more tears fell onto your cheeks, “we tried y/n. We really did. Bucky tried but it was too late.”

“What happened?” Your voice broke.

Sam looked down and rubbed the back of his neck nervously before looking you dead in the eye, “he was activated.”

Your hand covered your mouth wordlessly as you shook your head in shock. “No… no. That’s- that’s not possible. Shuri wiped it all out. It was gone.”

“That’s what we all thought.” You sat down ceremoniously onto the edge of your bed.

Your hair fell around your face. You whispered, “What happened when he was… you know… the winter soldier.” You had to force back the physical gag at the thought of him being that.

“After he was activated, they opened up the barrier between us and he attacked us. We tried to contain him so we could get Bucky back but with Hydra on us too, it was nearly impossible. Me and Sam were stuck dealing with all the agents and Bucky…” Steve sighed heavily, “He went face to face with Peter.”

Your eyes widened significantly.

“They were a pretty even match. Peter is stronger than Steve so we weren’t too worried but… when a super soldier is being brainwashed, they become even stronger. Me and Steve were pretty much done with the agents and we saw that Bucky was holding Peter up by his throat, strangling him. It took all of our strength to pull him off.”

Your eyes darted to the door, “peter. Is he….?

“He’s okay. He knows it wasn’t Bucky but it was still a scary experience. Once we got Bucky back, he wouldn’t even look the kid in the eyes and he barely talked to us. He blames himself.”

You finished the thought, “so he went to Wakanda to see if they could fix it.”

“Yeah…” Sam and Steve shared a look, “There’s one other thing. Bucky said that this activation was different from the rest.”

“How so?”

“Well they used different words, so it was a different programming all together.”

“So even if the winter soldier was wiped out, this other thing wasn’t.”

You sighed and ran your hands over your eyes, “So it wasn’t that Shuri missed it. It’s that they didn’t even know it existed.” You looked at the two boys, “so hydra programmed him twice…”

“Not actually.” Natasha’s voice was sharp as she entered your room with a tablet in hand. “That second base wasn’t Hydra.” Everyone looked at her confused, “they were disguised as Hydra. They knew you guys were out wiping out the bases and used the cover of a hydra agency to lure you in. That was Leviathan, the original red room. It was the thing that made Dottie Underwood the first black widow even though that wasn’t their official name.”

You looked to her, “the first black widow? When was this?”

“The 1940s.” Steve’s breath hitched. Natasha continued, “There are 20 years unaccounted for when Bucky was supposedly kidnapped to when the first winter soldier siting was.”

“You think he spent those twenty years with this Leviathan?” Sam asked

“No, not all of it.” Natasha projected some numbers and files from her tablet onto your wall, “He was first captured by Leviathan and then brainwashed and established as a tool after 5 years. They called him the Recluse.”

“How do we know this?”

Natasha narrowed her eyes at Sam, “because I know everything. And…” she flipped through another file, “Peggy Carter had a run in with him.” Steve’s eyes widened. “She had an encounter with a younger girl named Eva who killed some of her agents, she followed Eva secretly alone for a while and found that she was one of 3 ‘assets’. Bucky being the first and the oldest.”

“Why isn’t this on any files or anything?” Sam asked.

“It was. But as she tried to find and rescue him, he was gone. We don’t know exactly how Bucky went from that to Hydra but he did.”

“And then when Hydra was SHIELD, they wiped the file.” Sam guess and Natasha confirmed that.

You didn’t speak for a while. “Does Bucky know this?” Everyone’s head snapped towards you, “Does Bucky remember that?”

Natasha shrugged, “if he did he didn’t tell anyone.”

“But he knew this one was different, right?” You looked back towards Steve and Sam and they nodded. “So we need to get this information to Shuri and T’Challa.” you moved to grab the tablet but Natasha pulled her hand away and Sam stood in front of you. You narrowed your eyes, “What are you doing?”

“I already sent the information to them. Now we just need to wait.” Natasha leveled.

“Wait?!” You repeated, “You expect me to wait?! My boyfriend almost murdered his best friends and now is getting his brain tested and you expect me to sit and wait?!” You didn’t wait for as response as you stormed out of the room and towards the training room, needing to blow off steam and knowing that they wouldn’t follow you.

You spent hours crying and destroying a punching bag before anyone approached you. You heard them the minute they walked through the door but waited til they were a step behind you to turn around and swing. The boy ducked. Peter.

You breathed heavily as you stared at the young adult. 20 years old now. You shook your head, “What do you want?”

“I want to go help Bucky.” You froze.

“What?”

“The guys told me what happened and I agree with you. He deserves to have people there with him who know him and share memories with him. Obviously they won’t agree to it and I can’t fly the quinjet. So I need you to take me to Wakanda. Ready?”

You walked over to the bench and began to unwrap your hands, “look peter… I appreciate what you’re trying to do but I’m not going to take you to Wakanda.”

“But you are going, right?” You looked at him out of the corner of your eye. He barked out a laugh, “y/n you can’t fool me. I know that look, I’ve had that look. I know you’re going so might as well take me. Oh and Wanda.”

“Wanda? She’s not even here.”

“Yeah she is. She and vision just got back and I filled her all in and she thinks that they are crazy. She’s getting packed as we speak.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose, “peter we are NOT going to Wakanda tonight. And that’s that.”

~.~

“Ready to go?” you whispered as both Peter and Wanda crawled aboard the quinjet.

“Yep!” peter said with a big smile as Wanda nodded with a yawn.

“We have less than two minutes to get this bird in the air before the others will be notified.” you looked to peter, “that means I need your help. You have to wait outside the quinjet and manually open the door. Once we are out, Wanda I need you to cut the holds on the wheels with your powers and then Peter swing on up to us and we’ll let you in. Understood?” they both nodded, “Awesome. Let’s go get our Buck.”

~.~

The alarm sounded too late for the sleeping avengers too do anything. Natasha was the first one up and in the common room, being a light sleeper due to the dangers of her job. Steve was right behind her, trailing a little slowly but still active.

“Friday what’s going on?” Tony asked as he bounded into the room

“It seems that Ms. y/l/n, Mr. Parker, and Ms. Maximoff have stolen a quinjet.” Everyone let out a small sigh of relief knowing that at least no one was in immediate danger.

“You couldn’t stop them?”

“They did not activate any machinery until they took off, therefor I was not notified of any suspicious activity.”

“Can you track them?” Steve asked while running a hand over his eyes

“Unfortunately not. They seemed to have gone incognito. I will not be able to find them until they want us to find them.” Stark slumped slightly and looked at Steve, Natasha, and Sam who just came in.

“Any idea where they would have gone?”

Sam and Steve shared a look. Natasha answered for them, “Wakanda.”

Tony rolled his eyes, “Friday call T’Challa.”

“Yes sir. Connecting you to him now.”

“Stark?”

Tony ran a hand through his hair, “yeah hey cat man.” T’Challa scoffed, “We have some people on their way to you to visit a certain Popsicle.”

“Sergeant Barnes?”

“Yeah. Y/n, Wanda, and peter are on their way in a quinjet.” Steve said back.

“But Sergeant Barnes requested no visitors.” Shuri’s voice came through. “Steve he told you that directly.”

“I know that. I told them not to go, they just took off in a quinjet.”

“And you cannot summon it back?” Shuri lowered her voice, “some technology you have.”

“They’ve gone incognito, princess.” Natasha explained, “We aren’t entirely sure they’re even headed to Wakanda. It was just a guess.”

“Well, Sergeant Barnes is still awake and moving. We haven’t begun treatment yet. I’m letting him rest for a few days. Should we send them back?”

“I think that’s Bucky’s call.” Sam supplied.

“Well any and all of you are welcomed here any time. We will call you back if they make an appearance.”

“Thank you T’Challa, Shuri.” The phone call ended with an audible click and the avengers all looked to each other.

“What are we gonna do?”

Tony put his tablet on a nearby table and stalked back towards his room, “I’m going back to bed. We can’t stop them now. We’ll get a good night’s rest and head out to Wakanda tomorrow.”

“Alright fine. Everyone be ready to leave by 8 in the morning.”

“Sir yes sir capsicle.”

~.~

“What can I do for you princess?” Sam asked groggily as he answered his phone

“They never arrived.”

“What? Who?” Sam pushed himself into a sitting position and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

“Y/n. She never arrived.” That woke him up.

“Shit. Okay thanks Shuri.” Sam jumped out of bed and bounded towards Steve’s room. He knocked aggressively and waited rather impatiently outside the door for Steve to open it, wearing nothing but sweatpants.

“What do you want Sam? It’s 5 in the morning.”

“Shuri just called saying that y/n never arrived. Where else would they have gone?” his words came out panicked and scared.

Steve’s eyes widened but he remained calm, “let’s talk to Tony. I’m sure there is something we can do.”

The two of them walked quickly to Tony’s sweet and knocked on the door. He arrived a little too quickly for him to have just woken up. He walked past them wordlessly.

“Follow me, I just got the call.”

“How can we find them?”

“The only thing that I might be able to do is tap into Peter’s suit but even then… I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Steve asked waving his hands around, “don’t you track that boy?”

“I used to but when he became an adult, he’s free to make his own decisions.” Steve groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “Calm down cap, I’m still gonna try.”

Tony sat down on the swivel chair in front of a computer and leaned back casually. “Friday. Look alive baby, we’ve got work to do.” he stared up at the projections that were appearing in front of him. “Fri, start the coffee machine… this is gonna be a rough one.”

~.~

“Y/n!” Wanda whispered harshly as the plane touched down in what was not Wakanda. “Y/n! What are we doing here?”

You stormed past her as you holstered a few guns, “getting answers.” Peter grabbed your arm as you hurried past, forcing you to face him.

“Y/n this isn’t the way to do this.”

You snarled at the boy, “let me go Peter. I have things to do.”

Wanda stepped forward, “Like what? What on earth could this possibly achieve?”

“Closure!” you screamed back, tears threatening to spill over. “Fucking closure! The knowledge that there isn’t anyone out there who could cause Bucky to go through this all over again! He’s had enough.”

“We know.” Wanda’s voice was soft, her eyes filled with sorrow for you. “Y/n… we know.”

“That’s why he’s in Wakanda. So they can help him. That’s why we need to go to Wakanda.”

“But they missed it before!” you thrashed your arms around violently, “who says they won’t miss it again?”

“Is there anything else to miss?” Peter asked, his big brown eyes looking into your y/e/c ones.

“That’s the thing Pete, I don’t know.” Your voice broke slightly, “And Bucky doesn’t know. And neither of you know. And Natasha doesn’t know. Even shield doesn’t fucking know! Nobody but those people that put this evil in him know that it’s there.” You took a calming breath, “There is no other way to be sure.”

Wanda frowned but nodded, “you’re the one in charge here. I’m not happy with it but…” she hesitated slightly, “I’ll still follow you.”

Peter groaned and threw his head back, “well I won’t! I don’t want to do this. I just wanted to see Bucky and tell him that I forgive him and that it’s alright. I didn’t want to do this. My abilities are practically useless here!”

You had flown the quinjet back to Iraq, where the boys had been previously stationed, and where you tracked him down. Yesikov Makrovich. The last known operator of this Leviathan.

You bit back your anger towards Peter. He was right in a sense. You had lied to your friends and dragged them along on a dangerous mission for your own selfish purposes but you couldn’t help it! You just wanted to sleep in the same bed as your boyfriend without fearing for his sanity. You looked to Peter, “fine then. You stay here with the quinjet. Protect this with your life and we’ll be back within the hour.”

You and Wanda departed the jet and watched as peter closed the door. Wanda moved some trees around it with her powers to hide it better now that they weren’t incognito. You turned and began to walk quickly towards a crumbling building. You pulled the mask over your face and pulled the guns from your built. Time to shot shit down.

~.~

“Where could they be?!” After hours of trying to reach peter’s suit Tony was unsuccessful. The three boys sat hopelessly in the room, struggling to find another solution when a red dot suddenly pinged on the world map. It was the jet. Tony shot into a standing position and zoomed in on the location marker.

“They’re in Iraq.” Tony said confused, “Why would they go to Iraq.”

Sam scratched his head, “Well that is where our mission took place.”

“You think y/n would track down that guy?” Steve asked as he leaned against the desk.

Tony shook his head slightly, “I mean it sounds like her but… Wanda and Peter would never agree to it.”

Sam closed his eyes, “maybe… maybe they didn’t agree to it.” He opened his eyes to see the other two men looking on in confusion, “We all know how y/n gets around Bucky so it’s not that farfetched of an idea that she might lie about where they’re going to satisfy her own agenda.”

“Let’s call the jet.” Tony stated and turned around to face a control panel. He clicked a few buttons and waited with heavy breath as it connected him to the aircraft.

“Mr. Stark?”

Tony let out the breath, “Hey kid. Glad to see someone picked up.”

“Are you mad?”

Tony let out a humorless chuckle, “no no… I’m very mad but I’m glad that you’re okay. Where are y/n and Wanda?”

“They left the ship about thirty minutes ago.”

“To do what?” Sam asked sternly

“I’m not entirely sure. I thought we were headed to Wakanda.” Sam gave a smirk to Steve, “but I know she’s after the guy that did this to Bucky. I don’t know who it is though and she didn’t say the name.”

“What are you doing in the quinjet by yourself then?”

“I didn’t want to help this way, plus I really can’t do much out here.”

“Okay well I want to stay on the line with you until y/n comes back, I don’t want to miss her.”

“Yeah… sure.” A few minutes of silence passed before a lot of noises exploded inside the cabin of the jet.

“Peter?” tony asked worried, “you alright?”

“Y/n!” Peter ignored Tony, “What the hell do you think you’re doing.”

You glared at the boy and dragged the unconscious man to a corner of the quinjet. “Getting answers. Peter, I’m gonna set the jet to autopilot and you are going to stay up here.”

“What? Y/n?”

You passed by him to the controls and quickly set it up. You glanced back at the young boy. Too young. “Peter. I mean it, stay here.” Peter just nodded as you headed back into the large ship and found yourself hidden behind a wall.

“Peter?”

“She’s back.”

Tony sighed, “Yeah I figured. She has that guy with her?” Peter just nodded into the video call. Tony shook his head.

A loud grunt and bang came from the other room causing Peter to cringe and fight his instinct to go look at it. He settled into the large pilot chair and just found solace in his mentor’s presence.

With you in the other room, it was a frightening scene. You had tied up the man and placed him on one of the seats. His bloodied face lolled to one side and then the other as he slowly woke up. He blinked a few times before a sinister grin broke out onto his face. Wanda stood a few feet behind you with her arms cross, eyes narrowed. You stooped down to the man’s eye level and forced him to look at you.

“James Barnes.” Your words came out harsh and cracked.

The man clicked his tongue, “What a good soldier that man was.” You blinked back harsh tears and forced yourself to look at the man.

“Tell me what you put in his head.” The man just smiled larger. Your fist connected with his face before you could ask him again. He groaned lowly but eventually looked right back up at your face, the only new addition being a small dribble of blood running down his forehead. “What. did you. put. in his. head.” You spoke the words between clenched teeth. The man didn’t speak.

You were tempted to throw hands again, to literally knock both some sense into him and the answers out of him. But instead you stood up, wiping your hands on your suit and looking to Wanda, giving her a small nod.

“You made the wrong choice.” You spoke softly, “I was the good cop.” You saw the brief flash of fear in the man’s eyes as Wanda stepped forward, her eyes beginning to glow red.

The man fought against her powers for a brief second before giving in. Wanda smirked as she was given a clear search through his head. She stopped it a moment later and the man let out a deep breath, panting heavily. She turned to you and whispered, “He was the first one who found Bucky and he actually passed them off to Hydra once they got the Black Widow program started.”

You let out a breath of relief. This was it. This was the last thing inside of his head. You finally began to breath properly again. You turned on your heel and took a few steps towards the man who looked winded. You smirked at him, “thanks for the help.” And with that you socked him across the face, knocking him out cold. You grabbed a small rag and wiped your knuckles clean of his blood, walking back to the cockpit. Peter was chewing on his thumbnail nervously.

“Stark.” You gave the man a curt nod before taking your place behind the wheel.

“Y/n, what were you thinking?” You didn’t answer the man. “Are you gonna answer me?” Your eyes flitted to the picture of Tony Stark before going back to the controls where you took the plane off of autopilot.

Peter spoke up slightly, “Why don’t we call you back later?”

“No, Peter we need to talk about this. Y/n what you—“ You turned off the video with a small sigh and relaxed back into your seat slightly. Peter timidly looked behind him, barely seeing the form of the slumped over man.

“He’s just unconscious, don’t worry kid.” You said knowing what his unuttered question was. You sighed slightly and flipped the autopilot on once more. You turned to face peter, “I don’t think I was ever going to kill him. I just wanted some answers and for him to be brought to justice.”

“What are you going to do with him?”

“I’m gonna let T’Challa deal with him. Speaking of…” You glanced at the map, “We’re about thirty minutes out so get ready.”

~.~

Bucky sat on the edge of his bed, his fingers fiddling with his phone. He had meant to call you the minute he got it back, he had been thinking of it the entire time he was on the mission. But then that happened and he just felt so… dirty. He didn’t deserve you. You deserved the world and all you got was some lowlife criminal who brought death to everything he touched. He sighed and tossed his phone onto his pillow, running his hands through his tangled hair. He needed to get it cut.

He smiled slightly at the thought of you running your hands over his scalp before tugging gently and commenting on how long it had gotten. Are you gonna keep it? You always asked for his opinion before passing your own judgment. Bucky was undecided on his hair. He used to always keep it long, not wanting to risk showing his face to any professional. But now… now he had the safety and the time and the want to take care of it.

There was a light knock on his door. He sat up and walked to it, unlocking the door and opening it. His eyes widened at the sight of Queen Nakia and Okoye on the other side.

Bucky smiled politely as the queen got straight to business, “There is a situation.”

Bucky fought back the grimace, not wanting to get involved in anything serious before he goes back in cryo. “How can I help?”

“Y/n is on her way. She’s about ten minutes out.” Bucky’s eyes bulged out of his head.

“What… what? Why is she coming here?”

“She found out from your colleagues about what happened. We actually expected her last night but she never arrived. We just got word from Stark that she…” Nakia hesitated. Okoye stepped up.

“She tracked down and captured the man that caused all this damage. She has him in his custody and is turning him over to us.” Okoye sighed slightly, “We are telling you this because she has requested to see you.”

“Do not worry Sergeant Barnes, if you do not wish to see her then you will not. However, I doubt Shuri will continue on with Cryo until she knows more about this. It may take a few days, even weeks.”

“Thank you Queen Nakia. Okoye.” Bucky nodded to both of the women before shutting the door and flopping onto his bed. He wanted to see you, he really did but not when he felt like this. He heard loud turbines and looked out the window to see the quinjet landing smoothly on the flight deck. You were driving. His heart strings were pulled as he saw you through the small dirty window swipe some hair out of your face. You stood up and strode to the back of the quinjet. Bucky sighed once more, not knowing what to do.

It boiled down to like three options: he could go out and greet you on the small runway with the royals of Wakanda, he could wait and see if the guards can keep you from his room, or more likely you would show up at his door anyways. Bucky sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

He watched through the clear glass as Wanda exited the plane, a small backpack thrown over her shoulder. Bucky’s chest tightened as Peter stepped out next, his mask dangling between his fingers as he followed behind Wanda closely. Bucky waited with stilled breath as his eyes searched for your frame. A startled gasp escaped his lips as a man stumbled out of the jet, his hands bound behind his back and traces of blood across his face. You stepped out next, the top of your uniform folded down around your hips, a thin tank top covering your torso. You kept pushing the man forward until two of the Dora Milaje stepped forward and took the man out of your grasp. Bucky watched as you and Shuri shared a small hug before you went to shake T’Challa’s hand in greeting. He gestured for you, Wanda, and Peter to follow him into the palace. Bucky felt his breathing pick up as he thought of the fact that you were suddenly going to be in the vicinity of him.

His chest moved up and down rapidly as he thought about what happen. What happened on that dreadful mission. How he lost control, again. How no matter how much help he seeks he will never be normal. He will never be safe. He’ll hurt you. Just like he hurt peter. Oh god, Peter. Bucky’s hands gripped at his hair as he couldn’t get rid of the image of peter struggling in his grasp and choking for air. The bruises that peppered the young boy’s neck caused tears to fall out of Bucky’s eyes. He didn’t want to hurt anyone else. He just wanted to rest, to be free. To be actually free. To have nothing, absolutely nothing, inside his head. He was tired of being someone else’s soldier instead of being his own. He had already hurt too many of his teammates, his friends, his family. And he would kill himself if he ever hurt you. You were the best thing that ever happened to him and he’d be a wreck if he ever lost you, let alone if he was the reason you were gone.

Bucky let out a shaky breath. She’s probably disgusted by me. She’ll never want to touch me, to have me touch her. She’ll want me dead for hurting Peter. She’ll be so angry and disappointed that I let-”

A light knock on the door broke Bucky out of his train of thought. Bucky didn’t respond, too afraid of who was behind that door. Another small knock came, this one just a tad louder but nowhere near aggressive. “Bucky?” it was you. Bucky sucked in a sharp breath of air, his eyes fluttering to the door. His vision was blurry with unshed tears. He heard you sigh, “Bucky, I’m not going to come in if you don’t want me to. Just know that… sigh, I’m here. Okay? I’m right here for you.” A heavy pause, “I’ll be upstairs in the guest quarters if you need me, okay? If you need anything.” You waited a moment to see if he would respond but nothing came. Bucky just stared at the door until he heard your footsteps disappear slowly. He waited until you were out of ear shot to slowly get up and move to the door. He rested his flesh hand on the doorknob, contemplating if he should open the door or not. Should he go after you? Should he stay? Bucky let go and slid to the floor, his back pressed against the wood. He dropped his head into his hands. He didn’t know who he was anymore.

~.~

You didn’t see Bucky that entire day. You knew he was shaken up and maybe it wasn’t the best idea to sneak away to Wakanda but you’d be damned if you weren’t there for your boyfriend in every way possible. Wanda and Peter spent most of their time in the lab with Shuri, after they had showered and napped of course. You however, you hadn’t even sat down yet. You stole some light sweatpants and with the dirty tank top you were wearing earlier you took to the palace’s gym. You had wrapped and taped your hands tightly a few minutes ago and now you were pounding away at a punching bag. You grunted with each punch and hair flew out of your ponytail every time you moved.

“I see you have found the gym, Ms. y/l/n.” You sighed lightly and pushed the fallen strands of hair out of your face.

You nodded your head at the new person that entered, “Queen Nakia, how are you today?”

She smiled and took a few steps forward, “I’m wonderful. The sun is shining brightly, and the crops are being harvested as we speak, it is a good day in Wakanda. How are you doing?”

You continued to avoid her eyeline, walking over to the wall where your phone and water bottle sat. You shrugged slightly as you crouched down, beginning to unwrap your hands. “I’m doing okay.”

Nakia scoffed slightly and walked over to you, standing near your body. “Oh I can see that. It’s been six hours since you’ve arrived, and you still haven’t showered.”

You threw the sweaty wraps onto the floor as you stood, now standing eye to eye with the young queen. “why would I shower if I wanted to work out?”

She countered you easily, “Why workout when you could take care of yourself?” You just looked away, grabbing your bottle. “I know you are upset and stressed at the moment but think about what Sergeant Barnes is going through.”

You forced yourself to calm down and nodded, “I know I’m trying to. It’s just hard to see someone you love going through something this hard.” You looked at her with watery eyes, “I just didn’t want him to go through it alone.”

She smiled at you, “I understand completely. However, you cannot speak to me and say these words as if you were not acting on a selfish thought as well.”

You huffed and ran your hand through your hair, “of course I was acting on a selfish thought! I wanted to see him before he went into cryo. He’s my boyfriend for god’s sake! I just… I thought he would want to see me as well.”

She laid a gentle hand on your upper arm, “I promise you that he wants to see you… he’s just a little lost at the moment. The mission took its toll on him.”

You sighed, “I know.”

“You know, sergeant Barnes is a wonderful man.” You smiled and nodded at her words. You did know. Nakia continued, “I talked with him for a few minutes when he first arrived, trying to make sure he was comfortable. Of course, he is very familiar with our palace due to the time he spent here a few years ago but I was just being friendly.” She gestured to a bench nearby, “would you like to take a seat.”

You nodded and followed her to the bench, sitting down carefully and taking a sip of water as you listened to the graceful words of the queen.

She smiled at you, “He ended up opening up to me mostly out of pure exhaustion from keeping it in. He was embarrassed that he was activated again, and ashamed. He was mad at himself for hurting Mr. Parker and putting his friends in danger. He was also mad that there was yet another thing out of control, he thought that he finally had a handle on his life.” She sighed slightly, “he was also scared. He was scared that he would hurt you or that you would hate him for what he did.”

You shook your head furiously, “I could never hate him.”

Nakia smiled at you, “he knows that, he does. It’s just… not his most thought of idea at the moment. Right now, anger and confusion cloud his brain and his judgement. You just need to give him time. However… while you are waiting you need to take care of yourself. That way when he’s ready to talk to you, you’re ready to listen.”

You nodded and smiled at Nakia, “thank you so much Nakia. Who knew that talking is a much better way to clear your head than punching something.”

Nakia laughed gently, “while I think Okoye would disagree with you, I am very happy that I could be helpful. I’ll have someone send up a fresh pair of clothes for you, so you can get out of that dirty shirt.”

You looked down at the sweaty tank top and laughed slightly before grimacing, “yeah when I get frustrated I tend to not care about appearance.” Nakia laughed as the two of you walked out of the large gym.

~.~

Bucky did come to you later that night, when you were up reading a book you found in T’Challa’s extensive library. It was a small knock on the door, one you almost didn’t hear until his heavy breath made his presence known. You unlocked the door quickly and pulled him into a hug.

You quickly pulled away though, “I’m sorry I should’ve asked first. How are you—” Bucky cut you off as he wrapped his strong arms around you and held you close. You reciprocated the hug with as much love as you could. You felt his cold tears drip onto the top of your head and you pulled away slightly to cup his face and wipe them away.

You spent the next three hours just listening to Bucky talk, wiping away the few stray tears that fell or pushing his hair back behind his ear. He sometimes would trail off and you would just reassure him that everything was okay. That he wasn’t scaring you away or pushing you from him. That you were right here, and you were gonna stay right here.

It ended with the two of you cuddled close on the bed, his arms wrapped protectively around you as you laid your head on his chest.

“I’m sorry.” He said for what was probably the millionth time.

You huffed slightly and pulled away to look at his face, “stop apologizing Buck. You know I don’t blame you.”

He nodded tightly, “I know… I just feel the need to apologize.”

You sighed and cupped his cheek gently, “okay then. I forgive you. Even though I don’t think there is anything to forgive, just know that I forgive you 100%. I’m not mad at you, I’m not angry with you. There is no frustration or resentment in my heart. I just want you to be okay.”

He smiled at you and pressed a light kiss to your palm, “I’m getting there. Much better now that you are here though, Doll.”

You smiled and ran your hair through his scalp tugging on his locks gently. You bit your lip, “it’s getting so long.” He smiled at you and your predictability. “are you gonna keep it?”

Bucky shrugged and squeezed your hip slightly, “I don’t know yet.”

You smiled and ran your hand through it again, “well just know that I think you are handsome either way.”

He pressed a loving kiss to your lips, “thanks doll.”

You pressed another one to his in return, “of course. It’s a yes by the way.” He raised his eyebrow in confusion as you giggled slightly.

You didn’t want to bring it up, wanting instead to let him think that he would surprise you, but you couldn’t hold it anymore. You just loved him too much.

“what’s a yes?” He asked, confusion still evident on his face.

You rolled your eyes, “to your proposal. It’s a yes. I will marry you.”

His eyebrows shot up, “how did you know about that?”

You giggled again, “you aren’t very good at hiding the ring.”

He laughed with you before kissing you passionately, “it’s a yes?”

You laughed and nodded, kissing him again. “It’s a hell yes.”

He sighed as he pressed his forehead against yours, closing his eyes contently. You frowned slightly, “I didn’t mean to give it away or take away your proposal. I just got really excited.”

He laughed, “it’s okay. I was pretty sure that I was gonna botch the proposal anyway. I always get so nervous. Plus, if this wasn’t the most us way to propose then I don’t know what is.”

You laughed and nodded again, “very true. I love you James Barnes.”

He smiled and kissed you again, “and I love you future Ms. James Barnes.”

You scoffed, “that’s Ms. James y/l/n-Barnes.”

He smiled and nodded, “you’re damn right it is.”

~.~

You, Wanda, and Peter ended up staying in Wakanda for a week before Bucky was scheduled to go back into cryo. You stood in a long corridor with him, the two of you looking out a large window at the beautiful Wakandan scenery.

He nudged your shoulder with his, “it’ll only be four months.”

You sighed, “that’s easy for you to say… you’ll be asleep for three of them.”

“two and a half but I’ll still miss you.”

You glanced up at him with watery eyes causing him to pull you into his side, pressing a soft kiss to your head. “I’m gonna miss you so much.”

“Do me a favor and wear the ring while I’m gone.”

You gave him a watery laugh and smiled, “of course.”

“Bucky, we’re ready for you!” Shuri called from the end of the hallway. Bucky nodded at her and turned to walk, pulling you with him. You held onto his flesh arm tightly as the two of you went to the medical wing. The two of you paused as you came across the machine.

Bucky stopped and turned to look at you, cupping your face in his hands. “I’ll see you soon okay?” You nodded. He leaned down and pressed a loving kiss to your lips, your hands resting on his waist and gripping his shirt tightly.

He pulled away before pressing another small kiss to your forehead. You smiled at him, “how about when you come home you can propose to me for real and we’ll get your hair cut.”

He smiled at you as he shook his head fondly, “sounds like a plan.” He pressed another quick kiss to your lips as Shuri cleared her throat. “I’ve gotta go. Dr. Shuri is getting impatient.”

You laughed slightly as Shuri rolled her eyes. You nodded sadly as he let go of your face and walked over to the machine. You knew that this was for the better and that he was safe but a part of you was scared of losing him again. You waved to him as he stepped in and waiting until the door closed, and the small window was covered to turn around and walk back to the quinjet where Wanda and Peter were waiting for you.

Wanda smiled gently at you as you walked on, “you doing okay?”

You sighed as you sat down in the pilot seat, “I am, because I know he’s gonna be okay.”

~.~

“is that an engagement ring?!” Sam’s shriek filled the entire tower. You just facepalmed.

[nightsblessed]

mega-questionnaire ✿ lance

► BASICS.

FULL NAME: Lancelot Apollinaire Chavers.

NICKNAME: Lance, Blondie.

AGE: 24.

BIRTHDAY: May 5th.

ETHNIC GROUP: Midlander Hyur/Wildwood Elezen.

NATIONALITY: Gridanian.

LANGUAGE/S: Common, semi-fluent Elezen. Capable of understanding any language.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Bisexual with a heavy male lean.

GENDER IDENTITY: Agender. He or they pronouns. 

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Taken.

HOME TOWN / AREA: Lavender Beds, Gridania.

CURRENT HOME: Rising Stones. Lavender Beds.

PROFESSION: Scion of the Seventh Dawn, Free Paladin, High Serpent Commander. Baker.

► PHYSICAL.

HAIR: Blonde, about shoulder length, shaved sides. Slightly shifting shades, darker towards the roots but brighter and highlighted on top where more exposed to the sun.

EYES: Green, odd-eyed. Right eye is darker, left is lighter. Both are a saturated bright green, slightly upturned and a little rounder than almond shaped. Epicanthic folds and monolids. Long eyelashes.

FACE: Rectangular/square head. Strong jaw, high cheekbones, dimples. Long-ish nose, slight hook to the bridge, wide nostrils. Rounded chin. Pointed Elezen-like ears.

LIPS: High cupid’s bow/”uni-lip”. Wide mouth and full lips, slight pout. Very kissable.

COMPLEXION: Warm brown. Freckles, the occasional mole. A little pink across his cheeks and nose from the sun.

BLEMISHES: None prominent. Very rarely a faded acne scar.

SCARS: Misc battle scars. Distinct gnarled and faded scar on lower back. More recently, long scars across his legs and torso.

TATTOOS: Small tattoo on inner right bicep, two snakes entwined around a sprig of lavender.

HEIGHT: 6’5”. (198cm)

WEIGHT: 190lbs.

BUILD: Athletic, muscular but young. Broad shoulders and back, narrower waist, muscular thighs. Very physically fit. Think hockey players body. 

FEATURES: Height, Elezen features i.e pointed ears and graceful look, odd eyes.

ALLERGIES: Lactose intolerant.

USUAL HAIR STYLE: Topknot/undercut ponytail. 

USUAL FACE LOOK: Friendly smile, a little airheaded. 

USUAL CLOTHING: Armor-wise, typically heavy plate or scale mail, green and bronze with fur trims and a long cloak. Civilian-wise, has a wide variety of clothing but sticks to light colors, simple patterns, and casual/sporty aesthetics. 

► PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR/S: Enclosed spaces, being crushed, isolation, abandonment. Being unable to save or help the people he loves. Fish.

ASPIRATION/S: To be a good son, help the Alliance and save Eorzea, to do right. Deeply desires to be a good husband and parent in the future as well.

POSITIVE TRAITS: Kind, compassionate, friendly, polite, overwhelmingly sweet and affectionate, charming, loyal, brave, protective, creative, nurturing. 

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Stubborn, slow, clumsy, can be pushy and overbearing, overprotective, emotionally intense and sensitive.

TEMPERAMENT: Sanguine. 

SOUL TYPE/S: Caregiver/Spiritualist.

ANIMALS: Deer, dog, snake.

VICE HABIT/S: Overeating, sugar in general.

FAITH: Nophica and the Elementals. 

GHOSTS?: Yes.

AFTERLIFE?: Not really.

REINCARNATION?: Yes, in the sense that his aether will return to the Lifestream.

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: Eorzean Alliance. 

EDUCATION LEVEL: Highschool-ish. Decent at math, has a good head for history, but dyslexia has kept his reading and writing level generally low.

►FAMILY.

MOTHER: Georgene “Georgie” Chavers.

FATHER: Pace Chavers.

SIBLINGS: None.

EXTENDED FAMILY: Bertille, maternal grandmother. A couple aunts and uncles, a few cousins, none he’s particularly close to.

NAME MEANING/S: 

Lancelot - Land, Lance, Spear

Georgene - Farmer, Earthworker

Pace - Peace

Bertille - Bright, Famous

HISTORICAL CONNECTION?: None.

► FAVORITES.

BOOK: Family cookbooks.

DEITY: Nophica.

HOLIDAY: Moonfire Faire.

MONTH: May.

SEASON: Spring.

PLACE: Gridania.

WEATHER: Sun and rain.

SOUND/S: Birds chirping, night rain, laughter, wind through trees.

SCENT/S: Petrichor, cut grass, fresh baked goods.

TASTE/S: Sweet cream, berries, toasted nuts, herbs.

FEEL/S: Down, soft fur, cotton, moss, tree bark.

ANIMAL/S: Rabbits, cats, deer.

NUMBER: 2.

COLORS: Green, yellow, white, brown.

► EXTRA.

TALENTS: Highly talented baker and chef, great still life artist. Near-prodigy level grasp of conjury and white magic. Well trained with sword and shield, very comfortable with melee combat and heavy armor.

BAD AT: Not tripping over his own feet, most battle magic, archery or any kind of marksmanship. Reading any sort of long form text, focusing on tasks that don’t interest him, sitting still.

TURN ONS: Red hair, short guys, sass and banter, a cute laugh, friendship first.

TURN OFFS: Rudeness, lack of empathy, negativity, being boring. 

HOBBIES: Baking, crochet and knitting, embroidery, painting, sketching and charcoal drawing.

TROPES: Dumb Jock, Dark-skinned Blond, All-Loving Hero, The Empath, Badass Native, The Paladin, Green Thumb. 

QUOTES: “I want to leave no one behind. To keep & be kept. The way a field turns its secrets into peonies. The way light keeps its shadow by swallowing it.”

► MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1: If you could write your character your way in their own movie, what would it be called, what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about? 

A1: oh wow what a question. i think i’d really like to have his stormblood arc in a movie because it’d be half action adventure fantasy shit being up fascists but it’d also have a lot of his growth as basically a soldier and a young adult and his love life, going through a cute enemies to lovers thing with his boyfriend/future boyfriend. no clue what it’d be called though but i think either live action or semi-realistic cgi/animation for sure.

Q2: What would their soundtrack/score sound like? 

A2: probably pretty light and sweet instrumentals, lots of woodwinds and strings, the occasional more somber and heroic tracks. ori and the blind forest would be a good comparison, something that would evoke a lot of naturey vibes while being magical.

Q3: Why did you start writing this character? 

A3: im in love with @emet-selch ‘s character avis and wanted to make him the perfect boyfriend

Q4: What first attracted you to this character? 

A4: i generally really like pure of heart dumb of ass characters, soft jocks are some of my favorite characters both to read and write, so i packed a lot of tropes i really enjoy into him cuz i just wanted him to be very sweet and loyal.

Q5: Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse.

A5: honestly i havent had a big chance to write him in more serious/hard situations but while in plotting and just thinking about him, i think he can big a big stubborn asshole and its a little annoying.

Q6: What do you have in common with your muse? 

A6: fire venus. though fr i think mostly lance and i are just very affectionate and loyal! and love sweets and baking.

Q7: How does your muse feel about you? 

A7: im pretty nice to him and i let him have a very good life so i think we’re very chill

Q8: What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with?

A8: again i haven’t really had interactions with a ton of characters but i do like putting him in situations with other really extroverted characters, especially around his age cuz he turns into a dumb impulsive jock instantly.

Q9: What gives you inspiration to write your muse?

A9: honestly mostly the msq, strangely enough? a lot of it gave me inspiration for him and his story so doing it on alts always makes me consider and think about what he was doing then!

Q10: How long did this take you to complete? 

A10: about 3 hours before formatting and posting!

[cwnerd12]

The Nightmare

“The Nightmare” David enters the hospital. He goes up to a nurse’s station, “I’m here to see Jack Benjamin.” Nurse, “He’s in room 204.” David, “Thanks.” David goes and finds the room. He opens the door, and sees Jack sitting on his bed, looking as he did before being shot. David, “Jack!” He goes over and hugs him, “I missed you so much!” Jack, “Who the hell are you?” David steps back, “I-I’m David.” Jack, “I don’t know any Davids.” David, “Yes, you do, you know me!” Jack, “Who are you?” David, “I- I’m your boyfriend! I love you!” Jack, “I don’t have a boyfriend. I don’t know who you are.” David, “Jack, come on, this is stupid, you escaped the palace to be with me!” Jack, “I’m heir to the throne of Gilboa, I can’t leave the palace.” David, “Jack!” Jack, “Get out of here.” David, “I know you know who I am!” Jack, “Get out!” A sudden loud BANG, Jack’s head jerks back, a bullet wound in his forehead, blood spattering the wall behind him. David spins and sees Gerald pointing a gun at Jack. In a safehouse, David jerks awake with a scream, sweating and panting. His eyes search the dark room around him, and he realizes it was just a dream. Beside him, Asher’s groggy voice, “Bad dream?” David, embarrassed, “Yeah.” Asher, “The woods, again?” David, “No, it… it was something else. Same thing happened in the end, though. Go back to sleep.” He sighs and lays there, dismayed.

David lays on a sofa, talking to Dr. Othman, “I’m pretty sure Asher is going to strangle me if I wake him up again.” Othman, “Or he could find a different room to sleep in.” David, “Yeah, but then someone else has to try to sleep next to me.” Othman, “How are your daylight hours going?” David, “Since Abner was crowned, the only two emotions I’ve experienced are angry and horny. Most of the time, I don’t feel anything, but, sometimes, those two pop up.” Othman, “And how are you dealing with them?” David, “In the past month, I’ve spent more time masturbating than I have in my entire life.” Othman, “That’s actually good. It’s a healthy way to deal with things.” David, “Okay. I guess I’ll keep doing it, then,” he sighs heavily, “When Jack was around, I never looked at anyone else, and now… I can’t stop looking at other people. And I’m bi, so it’s not like I can make it better by surrounding myself with just one gender. There are hot people everywhere, and I feel like shit every time I find myself looking.” Othman, “Don’t be too hard on yourself. Separation is a hard enough thing to deal with, even under normal circumstances. It’s normal that you’re going to be frustrated. Whether or not you act on it, that’s a different issue.”

In his hospital room, Jack watches TV while Michelle does homework. A desk anchor on the news, “Today, the AFG has confirmed the identities of the twelve fighters sent to assassinate King Linus.” Michelle looks up from her homework. The screen shows pictures of the twelve dead Queens. Michelle shudders and looks away. Anchor, “They were all members of the elite fighting group called The Queens of Gilboa.” Michelle, “I can change the channel, if you want.” Jack shakes his head slightly. He opens and closes his mouth, but no words come out. Michelle, “Don’t strain yourself trying to talk. The words will come eventually, you just can’t rush it. Save your energy for therapy, okay?” Jack gives her a dirty look. Michelle, “Look, I know you’re angry and frustrated, but there’s no magic way to fix a brain injury over night. Believe me, I’ve looked. Just be glad you’re out of the ICU.” Jack looks away, annoyed. Michelle, “Being in the hospital fucking sucks. There’s no way around it.” Jack looks up at the TV. A reporter stands in front of a huge protest, “Today protests continue outside the palace, calling on King Linus to abdicate in favor of David Shepherd.” Suddenly, an explosion rocks the scene. Michelle stops doing her homework and stares. Reporter: “There’s been some kind of explosion, I’m not sure what happened, I need to get to a safe place…” Michelle puts her pencil own, “Shit!” She stands upend goes to the door, “I’m going to the ER, they’re gonna need my help.” She opens the door, but her guard, Nick, is there, “Where are you going?” Michelle, “Did you see the explosion on the news? I’m going down to the ER. I can help.” Nick, “You aren’t going anywhere.” Michelle, “I’m a fucking combat medic, I’m supposed to help in this kind of situation.” Nick, “Nope. I’m not letting you go anywhere you might escape.” Michelle, “What?” Nick, “Too many people, too much confusion, you’re staying here.” Michelle, “I’m not going to escape, I’m going to help!” Nick, “Sorry, I have orders.” Michelle, “Fuck your orders!” She tries to move past him, but he shoves her back into Jack’s room and shuts the door. Michelle tries to open the door, but the door handle doesn’t move, “Are you fucking locking me in here?!” She pouts on the door, “Come on!” Nick turns around. Behind him, the doctors and nurses rush down to the ER. Michelle, “Oh for fuck’s sake!” She pounds on the door, “Motherfucker!” She kicks the door, enraged.

Shay briefs David, “We’re sending our forces in Shiloh to help. It looks like the fucking Amalekites are at it again.” David, “I’ve been expecting something like this to happen. If we can’t figure out a way to go after Abner, we should at least figure out a way to go after Amal.” Shay, “Like Amal is going to be any fucking easier?” David, “Amal doesn’t have a palace full of security!” Shay, “Amal has an army of brainwashed fanatics, and he moves around!” David, “That’s still not a reason we can’t at least think about how we’re gonna try to get him. Maybe even try to gather some intel.” Shay, “I dunno what we’re gonna find.” David, “Anything is better than nothing. And, Amal might make another video. He seems to like the attention they bring. We might be able to glean something from that.” Shay, “So what do we do right now?” David, “Wait. If a video doesn’t come out in 24 hours, we should try sending some scouts around Shiloh, see if they can find anything suspicious. Until then, we just wait.” Shay sighs heavily, “Okay. You’re the boss.” David, “Do you think there’s something else we should be doing?” Shay, “Yeah, I do, but, I don’t know what it is.” David, “Don’t worry, I’m the same way.” Shay, “Are you doing okay, David?” David, “What?” Shay, “I probably shouldn’t ask, but, I know you’ve been in a pretty dark place since Abner took over.” David, “I’m doing as okay as I can be. I’m still here.” Shay, “Good. I worry about you, man.”

David walks down a hallway, and opens a bathroom door. He gets an eyeful of Beth, a very attractive girl getting out of the bath. She sees him. David, “Oh, shit!” He slams the door shut and tries to walk away. The door opens, and Beth comes out, wrapped in a towel, “Oh my god, I’m sorry!” David turns around and sees Beth, “Usually, I hear when someone’s in there, but you were… I should have knocked.” Beth, “I was taking a bath. Trying to relax. Self-care and all.” David tries really hard not to stare, “I should have knocked.” Beth, “Well, I guess my next phone call home is going to be really interesting. David Shepherd saw me naked. My sister is going to be really jealous.” David, “Nice to meet you.” Beth laughs, “I’m Beth, by the way. Beth Sebastiano.” She sticks out her hand. David shakes it, “I’m David, but I guess you know that.” Beth, “Yeah, I do.” She laughs nervously. His eyes inch toward her boobs. Beth, “Okay, well, I’ll let you use the bathroom, now.” She walks past him, her body brushing against his. David hopelessly stares at her ass (it’s a nice ass, too), “Yeah, okay.” Cut to: David jerks off furiously in the shower, and then leans against the wall, muttering, “Fuuuck!”

A physical therapist, Josh, helps Jack sit upright. Jack wears a helmet to protect his brain. Josh, “Okay, try to keep your head up. Lift your left leg for me.” Jack follows the instructions, grimacing as Josh counts to ten. Josh, “Good, now your right leg.” Jack lifts his left leg, but it doesn’t go as high as the right. Josh counts down to ten, “Excellent. You’re lucky to have regained innervation in your right side this quickly. Otherwise, you’d have a lot more muscular atrophy to contend with. Okay, let’s do it again.” He counts ten for the left side, ten for the right side, as Jack struggles. Josh, “Great! If you keep progressing, I think soon we’ll be able to start working on getting you sitting up on your own. That’s a big deal.” Jack flares his nostrils and sighs in frustration. Josh, “Let’s move you to the mat.” Josh and an assistant move Jack to lay down on a floor mat. Jack tries to sit up. He lifts his head and tries to raise his shoulders from the ground. Josh catches him and gently pushes him back, “Woah! Hey! Slow down! We’re not there yet.” Jack glares at him and grits his teeth.

In the living area of the safehouse, Shay, Joel, Asher, and Isaiah group around Shay’s phone, watching a video. Other soldiers crowd the room, including Beth, watching the video on someone’s phone from the arm of a chair. Shay gets up and yells, “David! Come here, you’ll want to see this!” David enters, “What?” He glances over, sees Beth, and they briefly exchange eye contact. Shay, “You were right, Amal released a video.” She holds her phone up for David to see. Amal stands in front of a row of Amalekites strapped with suicide vests, “Hello, Gilboa! I’m making this little video to say that, yes, the Amalekites are responsible for today’s explosion at the protests outside the palace. You’re welcome. I’d also like to promise you, there’s more where that came from,” he begins walking down the row of Amalekites, “Now, I know many of you aren’t sure whether or not you can trust certain figures who feature prominently in the news. Well, you can absolutely trust me,” he stops walking, “Unlike King Linus and General Shepherd, I have never once lied to you. Both Linus and Shepherd talk a lot about doing the right thing, serving one’s country, protecting the innocent, shit like that, and then what do they do? The exact same shit that I do. They kill people. Lots and lots of people. I, on the other hand, straight up tell you that I want to cause wanton destruction and hasten society’s downfall. Now, King Linus is an incompetent schmuck who, for thirty years, has done nothing but grovel at his master’s feet, and now his master is dead. How the hell is he supposed to lead his country through a time of war? I know that for this reason, many of you support David Shepherd, but I ask, has he really done anything to make this country better? Has he made anyone’s life better? He can’t protect you. He can’t even protect his own boyfriend. David was fucking there, and Prince Jack still got half of his brain blown out. Make no mistake, society is indeed falling apart. If you join King Linus or General Shepherd, chances are, you’re gonna die. If you join me, chances are, you’re gonna die, but I’m not bullshitting you about it. If, by some miracle, you happen to survive with me through this downfall, just imagine what you can do. You can re-build your life according to any wish you might have. You can be free, and not someone else’s definition of free. Join the Amalekites.” The video ends. Shay, “Asshole sure loves a monologue, doesn’t he?” David, “There’s gotta be some way we can identify this building. Look, we’ve got a shot of the width of the building, if we can figure out the length, we can try matching it to warehouses in Shiloh.” Isaiah, “I can estimate the width, but I can’t figure the length without getting a full view of the wall.” David, “One wall length is better than nothing,” he shakes his head, “I feel like I know this place. I don’t know why.” Asher, “Send it to Monique. She knows every abandoned warehouse in Shiloh.” Joel, “Okay, so if we manage to identify this place, then what? Do we just rush in like last time?” David, “It depends. If a scout can get a look inside the place, we can maybe formulate a plan. If it’s in Shiloh, that means getting to a safehouse won’t be a problem like it was last time.” We’re not pressed for time like we were- we have more time to be careful.” Joel, “The longer we take, the more attacks Amal is going to make.”

In the throne room. Abner makes a TV address, “Today’s cowardly attack on a peaceful protest will not go unanswered. I vow to uphold King Silas’s campaign against terrorism. Any group that threatens the safety and well-being of Gilboan citizens will be met accordingly.” The TV broadcast ends. Abner takes off his microphone. An advisor stands beside him, “Do you have any plans for going after the Amalekites, sir?” Abner, “I don’t care about them- the focus remains on Shepherd. He’s the only one who’s actually gotten close to me.” Rose goes up to Abner, “If you don’t stop the Amalekites, Shepherd will. Do you really want to give him another hero moment?” Abner, “I thought you were supporting Shepherd now.” Rose, “I said I like him better than you. I never said I actually like him.” Abner, “I can stop them both, I’m just going to stop Shepherd, first.” Rose, “Well, good luck, then.”

Josh and an assistant help Jack into his bed. Michelle sits in a corner watching the TV. Josh, “We had a good day today. Jack’s making really good progress. Michelle, focused on the TV, “Mm-hmm.” Josh takes Jack’s helmet off, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Jack.” He and his assistant leave. The TV switches to Amal’s video. Michelle looks away in disgust, “I wish they wouldn’t show his videos. Free broadcasting for him,” she glances back up at the TV, “I hate his face. I hope David fucking kills him,” she looks at Jack, “How was therapy?” Jack huffs with frustration. Amal, “He can’t even protect his own boyfriend. David was fucking there, and Prince Jack still got half of his brain blown out.” Jack watches intensely. Michelle, “Oh, shit.” She hurries to turn the TV off, “He’s a monster, don’t fucking listen to him, okay?” Jack breathes heavily, gritting his teeth with rage. He slams his shoulders back into the bed. Michelle rushes to him, “Stop it!” Jack slams his shoulders again. Michelle grabs him, “Stop it! You do shit like this, they wont let you take that fucking helmet off!” Jack looks up at her, still breathing heavily, tears in his eyes. He opens his mouth, trying to speak, but nothing comes out. Michelle gently wipes away his tears, “I don’t know what to say to you. I know you’re in hell right now. You have every reason to be furious at everything.” She goes back to her chair, and drags it so she can sit beside Jack. She holds his hand, “Do you remember being shot?” Jack shakes his head slightly. Michelle, “Do you remember that day at all?” Jack shakes his head again. Michelle, “Maybe you’re lucky, then.” Jack glares at her. Michelle, “You must be sick of people telling you you’re lucky.” Jack nods. Michelle, “I’m sorry.” She squeezes his hand.

Late at night, David sits on a sofa, watching Amal’s video on a laptop. He goes backwards on it and re-watches a part where a window is visible. He sees movement, and looks up to see Beth looking at him. Beth, “Hi. Insomnia?” David, “Yeah. Haven’t really slept well in a long time.” Beth, “I’ve always been an insomniac. Mind if I sit with you?” David, “Sure.” Beth sits down on the other side of the sofa. David, “I know I’ve seen this warehouse before, I just can’t place it…” Beth, “I didn’t know you could tell one warehouse from another.” David, “Well, right now, I can’t, so you might be right.” Beth laughs softly. She sits quietly for a moment, and then says, “It was really unfair what Amal said about you and Jack. If it weren’t for you, Jack would be dead right now.” David, quietly, “Cameron was the one who saved him.” Beth, “Yeah, well, you led Cameron there.” David doesn’t say anything. Beth, “Sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I can’t imagine that’s an easy memory to deal with.” David, “Why do you think I have insomnia?” Beth, “I can’t even imagine watching something like that happening to Yuri.” David, “Who’s Yuri?” Beth, “My boyfriend. He’s in the AFG.” David, “Oh. I guess that makes sense. Of course a girl like you would have a boyfriend.” Beth, “A girl like me?” David blushes furiously, “I- I mean, you- you’re good looking.” Beth, “Aren’t you gay?” David, “I’m bi. I generally prefer the term ryototsukai, but, well, I’m bi.” Beth, “Okay. I’m straight.” David, “That’s good to know. I guess.” Beth, “You must be really lonely without Jack.” David goes quiet for a long moment. Beth stares down at her feet. Finally, David says, “I was going to pick him up when he got shot. I went to Mt. Gilboa thinking that I’d have him in my arms again by that evening. I-” he pauses, thinking, “The last time Jack and I were together, I got stabbed, and then had surgery out in the middle of the fucking woods without any anesthesia, and I thought, for sure, that I would never experience anything shittier than that. Turns out, I was wrong.” Beth, “They can do that?” David, “Do what?” Beth, “Surgery without anesthesia.” David, “You wanna see the scar?” Beth, “Okay.” David puts the laptop on the floor, and lifts his shirt to expose his stomach, “This is where I got stabbed, this is where they did the laparotomy.” Beth leans in, “Holy shit.” She traces a finger down the length of the laparotomy scar, “That’s horrible.” David tries to hide his shudder. He lowers his shirt, “Still better than watching Jack get shot.” Beth goes back to her end of the couch, and David picks the laptop up again. David, softly, “I don’t even know if he’d recognize me. Brain injuries can do that. For all I know, he’s a fucking vegetable.” Beth, “I don’t think he is.” David, “Oh yeah?” Beth, “They aren’t saying anything because he’s getting well, and Abner doesn’t want to give you hope.” David smiles sadly, “Huh. That… that didn’t occur to me. Makes sense. I hope you’re right.” Beth, “I hope I’m right, too.” David watches Amal’s video again. He pauses it at a moment when the window is visible, “I know that window.” Beth, “What?” David, “There’s a window, here, I know it!” He turns the laptop around and shows Beth, “The red and blue glass panels, I saw those the first time I saw Monique perform! I know which warehouse this is!” Beth, “Oh my god!” David, “Well, Monique will know it. I don’t remember exactly where the warehouse is. Shit, I’ve gotta call her.” Beth, “Maybe you should wait.” David, “What?” Beth, “Monique will be pissed if you wake her up at 3 AM.” David, “Oh, yeah. Shay will probably be pissed, too.” He sighs and rubs his temples, “Fuck, I’ve got a headache.” Beth, “I’m gonna try to go back to sleep. Maybe you should try sleeping, too. Or at least lying in bed and thinking about how we’re gonna take out the Amalekites.” David, “Yeah, I’ll try. I guess.” Beth gets up and smiles at him, “Night.” David, “Night.” He watches her leave.

In the bathroom, David searches the medicine cabinet for aspirin. He grabs a bottle, takes out a few pills, and takes them. He puts the bottle back, and sees a box of condoms on the shelf. He stares at them for a moment, brain churning, hesitant. He grabs a strip of condoms and stuffs them into his pocket. He shuts the cabinet.